autoevolution
 

Aurel Niculescu

9,655  ARTICLES

Staff Writer
editor photo
Once upon a time there was a little boy that didn't know his age but dreamed of reaching high in the sky alongside the absolute best aviators. He was passionate about reading books (action and Sci-Fi), grew up with many great authors and soon discovered the mirage of cinema.

There he understood anything is possible if you work hard and passionately strive to follow your imagination. This is how at the age of 16 he managed to fulfill the first dream – flying alone in a glider plane. He was no Tom Cruise, of course, so young adulthood brought him back to reality.

With every kick in the familiar *utt comes a chance to step forward, so a seemingly unimportant ad in one of his favorite automotive magazines brought a dilemma - follow through with the current job or dare to achieve greatness by deploying (previously) unknown literary skills.

Since 2006, he’s been perfecting them at Automondial, Supercar, Cox, Autoshow, Autopro, Auto Motor & Sport, and more magazines plus their online versions. After driving some of the best and worst cars in Europe and around the world, he’s part of the autoevolution team, where he aims to develop his best-ever form.
Kia Introduces Sportage Hybrid in the Land Down Under, Costs Almost the Same as in the US
Kia Introduces Sportage Hybrid in the Land Down Under, Costs Almost the Same as in the US

11 Mar 2024, 07:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / That's a refreshing situation - while many vehicles gladly switch to RHD for the Australian market, the MSRPS are not as easy to swallow. Not this time around, though, as pricing is almost on par with the American option. Kia is enjoyin...

 
Dodge and Rivian, Can They Succeed With Their New EVs Amidst a Market Slowdown?
Dodge and Rivian, Can They Succeed With Their New EVs Amidst a Market Slowdown?

10 Mar 2024, 16:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Important side note: the market slowdown is perceived solely from the zero-emissions point of view. Meanwhile, ICE-powered models and even hybrids are getting stronger than ever. Just look at Toyota's results from 2023 and think about a simple...

 
Dodge Challenger Drag Races Larger Durango SRT Brother, Someone Might Feel Ashamed
Dodge Challenger Drag Races Larger Durango SRT Brother, Someone Might Feel Ashamed

10 Mar 2024, 07:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unfortunately, it is time to say goodbye to the marvelous Dodge Challenger because the modern interpretation has also run its due course. It's the dawn of a new Charger era, indeed. We have known it for months – Dodge (along with ...

 
If You Want Something More Outrageous Than a Charger, Check Out the Imagined Azura Mustang
If You Want Something More Outrageous Than a Charger, Check Out the Imagined Azura Mustang

9 Mar 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The American muscle car world is never going to be the same after, in the span of just a few months, General Motors ceased production of the sixth generation Chevrolet Camaro with no successor in sight, and Stellantis retired at the same time the L...

 
Renault 5 E-Tech Quickly Morphs Into a Fashionable Cabriolet, Albeit Only Digitally
Renault 5 E-Tech Quickly Morphs Into a Fashionable Cabriolet, Albeit Only Digitally

9 Mar 2024, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Piggybacking on the cult following of the original R5 – also called 'Le Car' in the United States and Canada, the all-new Renault 5 E-Tech combines nostalgia with the fresh EV lifestyle in a bid to conquer the supermini world. ...

 
Opinion: I Don't See What All the Fuss Is About the New Dodge Charger Not Having a V8
Opinion: I Don't See What All the Fuss Is About the New Dodge Charger Not Having a V8

9 Mar 2024, 16:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / This will probably be one of my least popular opinions on autoevolution because a lot of folks are already thinking that Stellantis is going the wrong way – and in many ways. For starters, let's recap some of the main details pert...

 
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Drags BMW xDrive on Unprepped Surface, It's Close
Dodge Challenger SRT Hellcat Drags BMW xDrive on Unprepped Surface, It's Close

9 Mar 2024, 07:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The latest 'cat' is out of the bag at Dodge with the arrival of the all-new Charger and its return to traditional two-door fastback coupe form, but over across the Old Continent, the last iteration of the Challenger still reigns supreme a...

 
Fresh 2025 BMW M5 G90 Sedan Goes Dark and Tuned, But Digital Fire Still Spits Out
Fresh 2025 BMW M5 G90 Sedan Goes Dark and Tuned, But Digital Fire Still Spits Out

9 Mar 2024, 02:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The all-new G90 seventh-generation BMW M5 is not even out and about, but some folks are already thinking about its potential across the aftermarket realm. Of course, they are all doing it virtually at the moment. Since an all-new eighth-gene...

 
Alternate-Style 2029 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Already Picks a CGI Fight With BMW's 5 Series
Alternate-Style 2029 Mercedes-Benz E-Class Already Picks a CGI Fight With BMW's 5 Series

8 Mar 2024, 23:00 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Audi-BMW-Mercedes-Benz wars can trace their lineage for decades. Currently, only the Bavarians and their Stuttgart foes have new fleet commanders, though – the sixth-generation W214 Mercedes E-Class or the eighth-generation G60 BMW 5 Seri...

 
Sadly, a Reborn Ram Dakota 'Hellcat' Mid-Size Pickup Truck Is Twice Wishful Thinking
Sadly, a Reborn Ram Dakota 'Hellcat' Mid-Size Pickup Truck Is Twice Wishful Thinking

8 Mar 2024, 22:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Currently, Stellantis is diligently preparing for a couple of major introductions in North America – the official reveal of the all-new Dodge Charger (Daytona) and the market arrival of the revamped Ram 1500 series. Some might wonder a...

 
2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Arrives Early to Expose Its Subtle Upgrades Across Imagination Land
2026 GMC Sierra 1500 Arrives Early to Expose Its Subtle Upgrades Across Imagination Land

8 Mar 2024, 21:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Last year, as the US automotive industry continued to recover swiftly from supply-chain issues and various other problems that have plagued the early 2020s, many models were quite a long way up in the sales charts for 2023. For example, even...

 
Here's the Ultimate Off-Road Lambo Urus You Didn't Know Existed: Apocalypse Inferno
Here's the Ultimate Off-Road Lambo Urus You Didn't Know Existed: Apocalypse Inferno

8 Mar 2024, 12:15 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Apocalypse Manufacturing, a Pompano Beach, Florida-based American aftermarket outlet, has a massive roster of models with names that are great for shooting a Hollywood thriller: Hellfire, Juggernaut, Nirvana, Strikeforce, Warlord, Sinister 6, Super...

 
Rumored All-New Lexus Coupe Gets Imagined Ready to Take Over Duties from RC and LC Series
Rumored All-New Lexus Coupe Gets Imagined Ready to Take Over Duties from RC and LC Series

8 Mar 2024, 10:11 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Lexus and other Asian luxury brands like Acura, Infiniti, and now Genesis are still going strong in the United States, three decades after the first one arrived on the market. Lexus even posted a humongous record in terms of sales last year, also t...

 
These Are the Coolest Features and Quirks Offered on the All-New Rivian R2 and R3X
These Are the Coolest Features and Quirks Offered on the All-New Rivian R2 and R3X

8 Mar 2024, 09:22 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The American electric vehicle manufacturer Rivian is trying hard to escape the mantra of a 'near-doom startup' in slower-than-expected EV times - and it clearly hopes the R2 and R3 series will do the trick and achieve the same level of gr...

 
2024 Lotus Emeya 'Hyper-GT' European Pricing Revealed, Tesla Doesn't Need to Worry
2024 Lotus Emeya 'Hyper-GT' European Pricing Revealed, Tesla Doesn't Need to Worry

8 Mar 2024, 08:47 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / The Chinese-owned British automaker Lotus is slowly moving forward with its strategy for the all-electric future and revealed the pricing details in the EU and UK for its Emeya four-door 'hyper-GT,' a direct competitor for Tesla's Mo...

 
Imagined Renault 4 E-Tech Looks Like Rivian's R3X Retro Crossover for Europe
Imagined Renault 4 E-Tech Looks Like Rivian's R3X Retro Crossover for Europe

8 Mar 2024, 08:04 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / This week is big in America, rather than 'big in Japan,' and it's also mostly about EVs with a hint of ICE-powered 3.0-liter Hurricane inline-six turbo promises. We are talking, of course, about the major introductions from Do...

 
Fresh Rivian R3X Turns Into Dreamy AMC Gremlin Revival With Just a Few CGI Tweaks
Fresh Rivian R3X Turns Into Dreamy AMC Gremlin Revival With Just a Few CGI Tweaks

8 Mar 2024, 07:23 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / After Dodge's big 2024 Charger Daytona EV and 2025 Charger SIXPACK (ICE power) reveal, it's time for another major automaker to take the red carpet's spotlight. Rivian deftly took to the stage to present its new mid-size EV platform ...

 
9-Inch-Fully-Lifted Land Rover Defender 110 Looks Ready for Major Trail Adventures
9-Inch-Fully-Lifted Land Rover Defender 110 Looks Ready for Major Trail Adventures

7 Mar 2024, 12:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Apocalypse 6x6, a Pompano Beach, Florida-based American aftermarket outlet, has a massive roster following a fruitful 2023: Hellfire, Juggernaut, Nirvana, Strikeforce, Warlord, Sinister 6, Super-Truck, and Dark Horse 6x6. They're all crazy bui...

 
Stunning First-Gen Pontiac Firebird Restomod Will Include Modern ZL1 Camaro DNA
Stunning First-Gen Pontiac Firebird Restomod Will Include Modern ZL1 Camaro DNA

7 Mar 2024, 10:30 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Unfortunately, the sixth generation Camaro (momentarily) marks the end of life for the iconic Chevy pony and muscle car. No worries, at least it will have company in car Valhalla – its Pontiac Firebird sibling has been waiting there since 200...

 
All-New Dodge Charger Daytona Convertible Is Merely Wishful Thinking, But Shouldn't Be
All-New Dodge Charger Daytona Convertible Is Merely Wishful Thinking, But Shouldn't Be

7 Mar 2024, 09:39 UTC · By: Aurel Niculescu / Stellantis started "the next era of Dodge muscle" on March 5, 2024, with the eagerly-awaited official presentation of the 2024 Dodge Charger Daytona and 2025 Dodge Charger SIXPACK models in traditional two-door fastback coupe form and, su...

 

Stories by Aurel Niculescu